Empty Motion
by grisabele
Summary: Set twenty years after the original series. Akio has found a new Rose Bride and the duels for the power of revolution continue. But what role will a girl who wishes to become a princess play in Akio's new game?
1. Prelude

**Disclaimer: I don't own Utena. I'm not making any money off this. Don't sue me.**

**EMPTY MOTION**

**PRELUDE**

_The man stared hard at the girl laying in the hospital bed. She was writhing in pain, clenching her hands into fists and inhaling short, sharp breaths. He almost felt sorry for her. Studying her face, she could not have been more than fifteen. How sad it was to see someone so young bearing such pain. The man's pity lasted only for a moment. He had a reason to be here. He had a reason to see this girl. If he played his cards right, this girl was going to become very useful to him._

"_How long has she been here, Doctor Honda?" he asked, turning to look at the demure woman standing to him. _

"_A year. Her condition never changes. Her injuries have healed, but she's always in pain. She had no identification when she was brought in. We could not find any records of anyone matching her description anywhere. You say you're family?"_

"_I am. She's my dear younger sister," the man affirmed. _

"_Do you have any proof?"_

_The man smiled broadly and reached into his pocket, pulling out a thin leather wallet. He opened it up and showed the woman a series of photos. The first of these showed the man and the girl standing together with their arms around each other's shoulders. They both looked a little younger. "This was taken last year," the man said. He showed the doctor another photo, faded with worn edges. This showed the man and the girl as children. He then pulled something out of the pocket of his wallet. It was an Ohtori Academy student's ID with the girl's picture on it._

"_Taken before her accident," the man said. Doctor Honda read the name. _

"_Kikuizumi..." she said, carefully reading the surname that was listed first. "Kikuizumi...Rin..."_

_The man nodded. "I hope that will be sufficient proof. I had given up hope that I would ever find my dear sister."_

"_Wait a moment," Doctor Honda said, "I need proof that you are who you say you are."_

_The man smiled again, and pulled another ID card out of his wallet. He showed it to the doctor. Her eyes widened. Then she nodded. "Very well. I don't think that she'll be leaving for a while, though. Not until her condition improves. I'll let Administration know that we have located a family member, in any case."_

"_She'll be much better now that her dear brother is here," the man purred. "Could you leave us for a moment, please?"_

_Doctor Honda nodded and left the room._

_The man took a seat next to the girl. "Do you remember me?"_

_The girl's blue eyes rolled wildly in her head. When the pain subsided enough for her to look at the man, there was a faint gleam of recognition there._

"_You'd like to leave this awful place, wouldn't you?"_

_Her response was to cry out in pain. She nodded, after a moment._

"_I can take that pain away from you. You'll never have to feel pain again if you don't want to."_

_She stopped, her thin body still rigid, her delicate hands still clutching the sheets on her bed. Her eyes were wide and full of tears. The man could tell that the girl wanted nothing more than to be free. _

_He leaned close and whispered in the girl's ear. Then he sat up straight again and looked at her. "What do you think? Do we have a deal?"_

_The girl's lips parted, and she spoke her first words in a year or more in a voice made hoarse by disuse._

"_Yes."_

**TWENTY YEARS LATER**

_Once upon a time, there was a little girl who longed to be a princess. She was very sad because in her heart of hearts she knew that she could never be a princess. Then, one day, a prince rescued her and told her that he would return to her and make her a princess, if she would keep her virtuous spirit. The princess was so impressed by the prince that she went out into the world to find him._

_But was this really such a good idea?_

Akio Ohtori leaned back at his desk and looked from the paperwork in his hand to the quiet girl sitting across from him. According to the paperwork, she was fifteen and would be entering her first year of high school. He looked from the paperwork to the girl. She was petite, with small, delicate hands folded neatly in her lap. Her black hair was cut short and parted on the side, but it did nothing to take away from the aura of femininity that she had about her. Her large, brown eyes were fixed on him.She was biting her lip, clearly nervous. Akio surmised that she must have been waiting for him to say something.

_What's her name again? _he thought, quickly scanning the paperwork. He checked the top. _Ah. There. _Then he smiled at the girl.

"So...you're...Hikari Hanamiya?"

She nodded.

"Pleasure to meet you. What brings you to Ohtori Academy? Why do you want to transfer here?"

Her eyes darted across the room. She looked everywhere but at Akio.

"This will sound crazy, Mr. Chairman. But...I received this postcard from this school on my birthday."

Hikari opened up her purse and showed Akio the postcard. He gingerly took it from her and silently read it.

_Claim your destiny._

He read it again, then inspected it closely.

"This is one of ours," he finally said. Hikari smiled. "We do send postcards like these to prospective students all over the country." Hikari opened her mouth to speak, but said nothing.

"But," Akio continued, "Your transcripts show a..._lack _of dedication to your studies. This school is highly competitive, Miss Hanamiya. A lackadasical attitude toward your studies will not be tolerated here."

Hikari's face fell. "Mr. Chairman, please...please understand that during that period in time in which my grades slipped, I was...I was going through a rough time. I can't explain what drew me to this school, but...I feel like I need to go here. Mr. Chairman...I would do _anything _to be a student here!"

_Anything? _Akio had to work to conceal his smile.

Akio leaned forward in his seat. "Now, now, Miss Hanamiya...there's no need for theatrics." He folded his arms and looked her straight in the eye. Hikari shrank under his gaze.

"I'm willing to compromise. Let's see...I'll let you enroll, Miss Hanamiya, but I will be placing you on academic probation."

"Academic probation?" Hikari asked, a note of confusion in her voice.

"Meaning that I will be monitoring your performance for the first half-term. If you should fail to meet the standards set by this school, you will have to leave."

Hikari nodded.

"You will also be ineligible to participate in any extracurricular activities until you are removed from academic probation."

Hikari nodded again.

"So, what do you think of those terms? Do we have a deal?"

"Yes!" Hikari smiled. She then stood up. "Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman! I won't let you down!"

_No, I don't think you will, _Akio thought as he stood up and walked around to the other side of the desk. Out loud, he said, "I'm sure you'll do wonderfully here, Miss Hanamiya, once you get your priorities in order." He shook her hand. "Have a wonderful day. See you when school starts back up."

"Good-bye!" Hikari chirped. Then she left the office, closing the door behind her.

Akio sat back down and pulled a chess piece out of his drawer. A pawn.

_I wonder how this new pawn is going to affect the game to come?_


	2. I: Adagio

**I: ADAGIO**

Hikari was in the library, seated in a chair that she suspected was designed to be so uncomfortable that anyone seated in it could do nothing but focus on his or her own studies. She stared hard at the math homework in front of her. Algebra was definitely not her strong suit. _I bet a princess doesn't have to know this. _She laughed softly. She'd always wanted to be a princess since she was little, ever since she had that dream (was it a dream?) that a prince rescued her from...well, she didn't remember. It was a pleasant dream, Hikari recalled, even if she didn't remember all the details. She sighed, then went back to the math problem.

"That should be easy for you," purred a deep voice from behind her. Hikari jumped, startled by the sudden interruption of the complete silence the library offered, and turned around. Akio was standing right behind her. Hikari blushed. She had not expected the attractive older man to come to the library, and she had certainly not expected him to speak to her. _How long was he watching me, anyway?_

"To be honest, I'm having a little trouble with this one, Mr. Chairman..." Hikari said, slowly. Was this some kind of trap? Was he trying to catch her failing at math so he could send her home? He didn't seem the type to do that, but then, people weren't always what they seemed. She looked at Akio nervously, taking in his appearance. His lavender colored hair, pulled back into a neat ponytail, contrasted sharply with his dark skin and red button-down shirt. She noticed he had an ear pierced. That, and the long hair, would not have flown at her old school. Akio would never had gotten his position there. But, then, Ohtori Academy was fairly progressive...

"Let me see," Akio said quietly, leaning in over her. Hikari inhaled sharply as he easily bent over her and looked at the problem. He was very close, closer to her than he ought to have been. Hikari was aware that he smelled faintly of roses.

"This is a hard one," Akio said after a moment, "But...I think I know how to solve it. Watch me."

He casually took the pencil from Hikari's hand and showed her each step of the problem. After he finished, he handed her the pencil and stood up straight. Hikari finally exhaled.

"Try the next one."

Hikari put the pencil to the paper and followed the steps Akio showed her.

"Very good," Akio said, checking the work, "That's exactly right."

"Thank you for showing me, Mr. Chairman!"

"You're very welcome, Miss Hanamiya." Akio sounded pleased. "Now, you're doing very well in every class except this one, right?"

Hikari nodded.

"You know if you fail your math class, your GPA will be too low for you to stay here..." Akio paused and looked thoughtful. "You have a test in two weeks, don't you? For the half-term?"

Hikari nodded again.

"Study hard, Miss Hanamiya. I think you can pass that test, and if you pass the test, you'll pass the class." Then, without saying another word, Akio smiled, turned, and left the library, leaving Hikari alone.

_He makes me so nervous..._

* * *

_If the chick does not break through its shell, it will die without ever being born...we are the chick, and the world is our shell..._

Tomoyo Kurosawa ran her fingers through her long, curly blonde hair and looked at her fellow Student Council members. There was the secretary, Kaori Saito, seated across from her, casually filing her nails while she waited for Tomoyo to speak. Her turquoise hair was neatly pulled back into a bun.

To her right,Vice President Kazuaki Watanabe sat quietly, occasionally brushing some stray hairs out of his eyes. Sakura thought that while his hair was a lovely shade of mahogany, it was much too long.

To Sakura's left sat treasurer Seiya Kiryuu. This boy was a legacy. Apparently, his father had attended Ohtori over twenty years ago, making it very easy for the boy to both get into Ohtori and onto the Student Council. He looked very much like his father, with his chin-length red hair and clear blue eyes, Sakura thought, but he clearly got his personality from his mother, whoever that was. Seiya was very shy and introverted, a far cry from the outgoing playboy his father had been.

Standing behind Sakura was a quiet girl with very light grayish-pink hair that was done up in an elaborate braided bun. She wore glasses but they didn't detract from the intensity of her blue eyes. This girl was in the usual Ohtori uniform rather than the Student Council uniforms. Her uniform consisted of a gray plaid skirt, a brown cardigan, a white, long-sleeved button-down shirt with a red plaid bow tie in place of the old scarves, navy socks, and black shoes.

Both sets of uniforms had changed over the years. The Student Council all had uniforms that were based on what the French Aristocracy was wearing in the late 1600's. There were variations between the male and female uniforms, with the female uniforms consisting of high-collared shirts, jackets, breeches, knee-high heeled boots, and cravats held in place with jeweled brooches. The men's uniforms consisted of a high-collared shirt, a surcoat, breeches, and knee-high boots. Each member of the Student Council wore a different color, as they always had. Tomoyo's uniform, for instance, had a white shirt and cravat, while her coat and breeches were red brocade and accented with brown leather. Her boots were also brown leather.

Tomoyo finally spoke.

"You all have your letters?"

Kaori spoke up. "I received mine this morning."

Seiya nodded.

"I got mine this morning, too," said Kazuaki.

"As did I," Tomoyo said. "And your instructions?"

"I did not get any instructions this month," Kaori said, "But I did get the duel schedule."

"I received no instructions," Kazuaki said. He sounded...relieved.

"And, what of your instructions, Seiya?" Tomoyo asked.

"Carried out," the young man affirmed.

Tomoyo seemed satisfied, and turned to Kaori. "The schedule." It was not a request. Kaori reached into her uniform pocket and handed it to Tomoyo without saying a word. Tomoyo looked at it for a moment, and shook her head.

"It says that the next duel is due in two weeks. It will be between myself and..." Tomoyo paused for a moment, and laughed. "The End of the World has left this schedule blank. The next duel will be between myself...and no one!"

Still laughing, Tomoyo adjourned the meeting, and, taking the pink-haired girl's hand, she left the Student Council Chamber.

_Clearly, the End of the World has decided that I am, and will continue to be, the Victor. After all, I've kept the Rose Bride since school began, haven't I?_

She tightened her grip on the other girl's hand.

_The Revolution will be mine._


	3. II: Adago, ma non troppo

**II: ADAGIO MA NON TROPPO**

**A/N: This one's short. Sorry. :(**

"_someday/you will find me/and i'll follow you/endless..."--_Beauty(tryad)

_Tick...tick...tick...tick._

Hikari nervously bit the end of her pencil. She'd never tested well, particularly in subjects that she did poorly in. She was on the final question, and she could not, for the life of her, figure out the answer.

_My grade depends on this! Why is this so hard for me? This is exactly the same kind of problem Mr. Chairman showed me how to do!_

At the thought of last time she had seen the handsome chairman, her heart raced. She knew it was silly to have a crush on someone so obviously out of her league, but Hikari couldn't help herself. There was certainly no harm in a school girl's crush, was there? Akio was handsome, and smart, and...

_Entirely out of my reach, _Hikari thought as she checked the clock and hastily scribbled down an answer. She hoped beyond hope that her other answers were right. She flipped back to the first page of the test and started reviewing the question. She was halfway through checking the first problem when the teacher slammed a ruler on her desk. "Time's up!"

Hikari jumped and handed the teacher her test. She stood up, grabbed her bag, and hurried out of the room. She was halfway down the hallway when she bumped into another girl.

"Excuse me!" Hikari said. The girl simply smiled slightly.

"I'm sorry." Her voice was soft, and Hikari was struck by how pretty the girl was. She wore round glasses, and her light, grayish-pink hair was done up in an intricate braided bun. Her blue eyes were incredibly intense.

"I should really be less clumsy, shouldn't I?" the girl said softly.

"N-no, it was really all my fault. I need to watch where I'm going," Hikari said, sheepishly.

The two girls locked eyes for a moment, and in that instant, Hikari felt a strange connection to the girl, as though the girl might become important to her one day...the girl smiled, showing bright white teeth...and opened her bookbag. She handed Hikari a single, pink rose.

"Here, take it," she said, "Because you're pretty. Like a little princess."

Hikari blushed and took the rose. For a moment, their fingers touched, and again, Hikari felt that peculiar sense of destiny. She couldn't help staring at this strange girl.

"Rin! What do you think you're doing, talking to her? I told you not to speak to anyone!" A girl's harsh voice echoed in the hallway. Hikari and Rin both whipped around. Hikari recognized the girl who had spoken as a member of Student Council. There was no mistaking that uniform. The girl was tall, with blonde hair arranged in elegant ringlets and brown eyes that flashed. She grabbed the girl with the pink hair by the hand and yanked her away from Hikari.

"What's your problem?" Hikari said, "We were just talking."

"She isn't allowed to speak to anyone but me," the girl replied. Hikari recognized her as Tomoyo Kurosawa, the Student Council president.

"You can't forbid a girl from talking just because you're in Student Council!" Hikari argued.

Tomoyo scoffed. "You're a transfer student, so you wouldn't understand. Rin is my property. That's all you need to know." She started to drag the girl, Rin, down the hall.

"You can't do that!" Hikari protested. She had to nearly run to keep up with Tomoyo, but she was not going to stand by and let that girl with pink hair be exploited. Hikari finally stopped and stood directly in front of Hikari. "I can't let you exploit someone just because you want to! And I don't care if you're the Student Council president! That girl is a real human being with real thoughts and real feelings, and I can't just stand by when I see people being treated like objects!" Rin looked up at these words, and stared intently at Hikari. She smiled. A knowing smile. Then she lowered her gaze. Without thinking, Hikari threw the rose Rin had given her moments before at Tomoyo's feet. Tomoyo glared down at the rose, then looked at Hikari as though her skin had suddenly turned green.

"You don't know who you're dealing with," Tomoyo snarled. "You want a duel? You don't even have a Rose Signet! But if it's a fight you want...meet me in the woods behind the school tomorrow." Then, she easily pushed Hikari aside and dragged Rin down the hall. Hikari watched them until they were out of sight.

_What did she mean...?_


End file.
